Happy Diwali

Banana Puri

500ml cake flour, sifted

2.5ml ground cardamom

75ml butter

pinch of salt

2.5ml baking powder

5ml lemon juice

200ml iced water

30ml cake flour

cold water to make a paste

125ml melted butter ghee

125ml sunflower oil

cornflour for sprinkling

sunflower oil to fry

tinted roasted almonds, optional

SYRUP:

250ml sugar 200ml cold water 1 cinnamon stick

Mix the sifted cake flour, ground cardamom, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Slice the butter into little cubes. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the lemon juice to the iced water. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add enough iced water to make a stiff dough.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave to rest for an hour. Divide the dough into eight portions and roll into smooth balls.

Use a rolling pin to work each portion into a paper thin round.

Dust the work surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Combine the melted butter ghee and oil. Place a large piece of baking paper on the work surface and dust with flour. Place the first round on it. Brush the dough with melted butter ghee and oil, then sift over a little cornflour.

Pile the rounds on top of one another, making sure that both sides of the rounds are brushed with butter ghee and dusted with cornflour except the top of the last round.

Gently roll out the pile into a rectangle and trim the edges. Combine the flour and water to make a thick paste and apply on the top edge – this prevents the dough from opening during frying.

Brush the top of the dough with melted butter ghee and oil. Then dust again with cornflour. Roll up the dough tightly to form a Swiss roll. Slice the dough into 12 portions.

Place the sliced dough with the layers facing up. Flatten the dough at a 45-degree angle. Roll the dough into an oval or round disc and fold the open edge over and press firmly to ensure it does not open when being fried.

Heat oil in a small pot on medium heat. Fry the puri one at a time and turn it over only once the bottom is firm. The puri should still be pale in colour. Drain on a wire rack overnight.

SYRUP: Combine the sugar, cold water and cinnamon stick in a pot.

Cook on a medium heat stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. Simmer until a thick syrup forms.

Drizzle a little syrup over the puri and garnish with flaked almonds.

YUDHIKA’S TIP: Dust with icing sugar instead of sugar syrup.

Gulab Jamun

1 tin Nestle condensed milk (385g)

45ml water

45ml butter, melted

30ml semolina

30ml Klim, optional

10ml baking powder

2.5ml bicarbonate of soda

500ml-625ml cake flour

2.5ml ground cardamom

sunflower oil, to deep fry

desiccated coconut, for sprinkling

crumbled burfee, to fill

tinted almonds, to decorate

gold leaf, to decorate

SYRUP: 750ml sugar 500ml cold water 1 large cinnamon stick

Place the sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a thickbottomed pot. Stir well and bring to the boil until thin, sticky syrup forms. Remove the syrup from the heat and keep warm.

Pour the condensed milk into a large mixing bowl.

Pour the water into the empty condensed milk tin and swirl to get as much condensed milk out of the tin.

Pour the water into the mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, ground cardamom, semolina and Klim.

Mix well to combine the ingredients.

Sift the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cake flour into the mixing bowl.

Work the ingredients into soft dough forms but leave a few sticky patches in the mixture as this will prevent the dough from becoming too dry.

Grease a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Wash your hands and grease palms with a little oil.

Mould small amounts of dough into balls and into fingers.

Place the gulab jamun on a baking tray.

Deep-fry the fingers in pre-heated sunflower oil on a medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly when they start to swell to prevent burning.

Turn the fingers to ensure they brown evenly.

Remove from the oil and drain for a few seconds before soaking the fingers in the warm syrup.

Remove from the syrup once the fingers start to sink. Place the gulab jamun on a wire rack and sprinkle with desiccated coconut or slice the gulab jamuns with a small serrated knife. Fill with burfee and decorate with tinted almonds and gold leaf.

YUDHIKA’S TIPS: It is best to add 2 cups of flour and then a little at a time until the dough reaches a manageable consistency.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

Naan Khatay

125g butter

125ml caster sugar

125ml sunflower oil

65ml semolina

pinch of salt

2.5ml cardamom essence

5ml ground cardamom

5ml bicarbonate of soda

500ml-625ml cake flour, sifted

whole blanched almonds, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and use a hand-held beater to cream until light in colour.

Gradually add the castor sugar and beat well.

Pour the sunflower oil into the creamed butter and continue beating. Add the semolina, salt, cardamom essence, ground cardamom and bicarbonate of soda. Stir well to combine and sift 500ml of cake flour into the mixing bowl. A soft dough should form. If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough is easy to mould.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth to stop it from drying out. Grease your palm with a drop of oil and roll the dough into balls.

Place a whole blanched almond on the ball of dough and flatten gently.

Place the biscuits on a baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are pale golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.